Dutch Move From Welfare State To 'Participation Society'

[Geee]

Investors Business Daily:

Roll Back: Europe is thought of as a collection of welfare states loved by some and detested by others. That lineup, though, is headed for change: The Dutch are wisely dismantling the system that they can no longer sustain.

 

The Netherlands has been known for its generous welfare system. Three decades ago, when the U.S. was spending about 22% of its GDP on entitlement programs, the Dutch were spending more than 40%. The Financial Times named the Dutch system a "comprehensive egalitarian social model" built in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

The University of London's History in Focus says that "with the sole exception of Sweden" — which has quietly been paring back its welfare system for two decades — the Netherlands "was the most generous both in terms of benefits and the conditions under which individuals could claim."

 

But everything is about to change.